Needle-guard for sewing-machines.



R G. WOODWARD.

NEEDLE GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FiLED AUG; 28, 1903.

Patented Sept. 21. 1909.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

11. e. WOODWARD. NEEDLE GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1903.

Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

SSHEETS-SHEET 2.

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R. G. WOODWARD. NEEDLE GUARD EoE SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1903.

984,954. Patented Sept. 21, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSEL G. WOODWARD, OF WAUKEGAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNION SPECIALSEW- IN G MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

NEEDLE-GUARD FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21., 1999.

Original application filed June 24, 1901, Serial No. 65,872. Divided andthis application filed August 28,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RUSSEL G. WooDwARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Vaukegan, in the county of Lake, State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle-Guards forSewing-lvlachines, of which the following is a description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

This application is a division of my application,-for patent forimprovement in sewing machines, filed June 24th, 1901, Serial No.65,872, and relates particularly to machines in which a plurality ofreciprocating needles are employed, in connection with supplementalthread carriers and a looper to form an ornamental edging or border onfabrics.

The invention consists particularly in the combination with such amachine, of a needle guard adapted to act on the needles below the eyesof the same and in such manner as not to interfere with the loops thrownout by the needles, and it consists finally in details of constructionand arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and referred to in theappended claims, it being understood that so far as the feature of theconstruction and mode of operation of the needle guard are concerned, itis not necessarily limited to a machine of this particular character.

As herein shown the invention is applied to a well known type of UnionSpecial sewing machine, in which three needles carried by a singleneedle bar make three parallel rows of stitches, interlocked by a looperon the underside and provided with two supplemental thread carriersoscillated across the path of feed and laying threads on the upper faceof the fabric to be engaged by the needle threads.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a sewing machineprovided with my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevationof the lower portion of the same, on the line 22, Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is asectional plan view of the machine on the line 33, Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the looper, and its operating devices, detached;Figs. 5 and (S are plan views,

Serial No. 171,081.

showing the movement of the looper; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view ofthe feed block detached.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the frame of the machine, B itsbase, C the needle bar lever, and D, the cloth plate. The needle barlever is driven from the main shaft E, by means of the usual eccentrica, and connecting rod 6, and is connected to the needle bar 0 by a link0, as usual. The ordinary eye-pointed needles are secured to the needlebar in any suitable manner, and as herein shown, three of such needles(Z, c, are used, although the particular number is immaterial. A singlelooper H, more particularly referred to hereinafter, cooperates with theneedles to form three parallel rows of stitches.

Cooperating with the needles and recipro eating from side to side acrossthe line of the seam are two oscillating thread carriers F, G, which laycross threads in front of the needles between the two outer rows ofstitches. These thread carriers may be operated by any suitablemechanism, such for instance, as that shown in U. S. Letters Patent No.506,527, of October 10th, 1893.

The feed block I is given its vertical move ment by an eccentric 2', onthe main shaft, and its horizontal movement is effected by a crank diskJ through pivoted levers K, K connected by an arm 74.

l/Vith the exception of the looper, the mechanism so far described formsno part of my present invention, such invention being applicable to anyclass of sewing machines, the particular type hereinshown being merelyused for the purpose of illustration.

The looper H is secured by a screw Z to an arm L projecting from asleeve L,mounted and free to turn on a bolt m, the latter being carriedby a rocker arm M, secured at one end to a rock shaft N, mounted insuitable bearings N, and at its opposite end to a pivot stud 02, adaptedto a bearing in the frame, the centers of the rock shaft and pivot studbeing coincident. 011 the rock shaft N is secured an eccentric boX orstrap P having two arms fitted snugly to an eccentric R on the mainshaft E, the eccentric being of very short throw and acting to effect atransverse reciprocating movement of the looper H. The to and fromovement of the looper across the line of stitches is given, as usual,by a pitinan r from the lower end of the needle bar arm, the forward endof the pitman, in this instance, being connected to the looper carryingarm L.

The feed block I is of a construction suitable for the working of theplurality of neetiles, and is, as usual, secured to the feed bar S. Oneside of the feed bar is grooved at s for the reception of the shank t ofa needle guard T, which projects under the feed block to a point just tothe rear of the ricedles when the feed block is fully to the rear. Theupper edge of the guard is rounded or inclined as shown, so that it mayengage with the needles if the latter are bent, and properly guide themwhen necessary, the point of contact being below the needle eyes, so asnot to interfere with the loops formed by the needles. The shank t isprovided with an elongated opening u through which passes a securingscrew 11, the arrangement permitting the proper adjustment of the needleguard.

This device may be employed on a single needle or multiple needlemachine, as desired, without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sewing machine, comprising in combination a needle, a work support,a feeding mechanism including a feed bar arranged beneath said worksupport, and in rear of said needle, a needle guard carried by said feedbar and contacting with said needle beneath the eye thereof, when-saidfeed bar is in its forward position, said needle guard being moved bysaid feed bar out of and into contact with the needle; substantially asdescribed.

2. A sewing machine, comprising in combination a needle, a work support,a feeding mechanism including a feed bar arranged beneath said worksupport, and in rear of said needle, a needle guard having a rounded orinclined upper surface, carried by said feed bar a d contacting withsaid needle beneath the eye thereof, when said feed bar is in itsforward position, said needle guard being moved by said feed bar out ofand into contact with the needle; substantially as described.

3. A sewing machine including in combination, a feeding mechanism, aneedle, an oscillating looper, a needle guard, means for supporting saidneedle guard and moving the same into contact with the side of theneedle throwing out the needle loop and in advance of the looperengaging the needle loop, said needle guard moving in a directionsubstantially at right angles to the path of the looper, whereby theneedle is properly positioned, so that the looper will not strike thesame.

4. A sewing machine, including in combination, a feeding mechanism, aplurality of needles, an oscillating looper cooperating with each ofsaid needles, a needle guard, means for supporting said needle guard andmoving the same into contact with the side of the needle throwing outthe needle loops and in advance of the looper engaging the needle loops,said'ne'edle' guard moving in a direction stibstaiitially at rightangles to the plane of said needles, whereby the needles are properly()OSltlOIlGCl for cooperation with the loopers.

5. A sew ng machine including in combination, a feeding mechanism, aneedle, an oscillating looper, a needle guard, means for supporting saidneedle guard and moving in contactwith the side of the needle throwingout the needle loop and in advance of the looper engaging the needleloop, said needle guard moving in a direction substantially at rightangles to the path of the looper and entirely in rear of said needleswhereby the needle is properly positioned so the looper will not strikethe same.

6. A sewing machine including in combination a feeding mechanism, aneedle, a looper, a needle guard, means for supportin'g said needleguard and moving the same into contact with the needle, means foradjusting said needle guard, said needle guard moving in a directionsubstantially at right angles to the path ofthe looper.

7. A sewing machine including in combination a feeding mechanism, aneedle, an oscillating looper, a needle guard, means for supporting saidneedle guard and moving the same into contact with the needle in advance of the looper engaging the needle loop, said needle guard movingin a horizontal plane below the path of the looper and substantially atright, angles to it, whereby the needle is properly positioned so thatthe looper will not strike the same.

8. In a sewing machine, a feed bar having a groove, a needle guard, ashank t thereon adapted to said groove, andineans for adjustablysecuring said shank in position; substantially as described.

9. In a sewing machine, a feed bar and a needle guard, with means foradjustably mounting the needle guard upon the feed bar; substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.p

RUSSEL G. IVOODIVARD.

WVitneSses CHESTER MoNEIL, CHARLES JoHNsoN.

